Boudat edges Modolo in photo finish to win opening stage of Andalucia

Thomas Boudat (Direct Energie) sprinted to victory in the opening stage of the 2018 Vuelta a Andalucia after beating Sacha Modolo (EF Education First-Drapac) by a tyre’s breadth.

In a chaotic sprint, Modolo seemed to have the advantage and as he raised his hands to celebrate, but Boudat made the last move and crossed the finish line just ahead of the Italian.

“Today I feel sorry for the team only,” said Modolo. “They were perfect. The loss bothers me so much because of them. It was a hard race in the end with more than 3,000 meters [of climbing], and today shows the condition was there.”

Chris Froome (Team Sky) finished safely in the main bunch on his first race of the 2018 season. Ruta del Sol continues on Thursday with a 140km stage from Otura to a summit finish at La Guardia de Jaén.